Info on Nica. Chentex Dispute; Burma Action Alert (fwd)

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Taiwanese government supports Chentex workers
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 16:31:35 -0500
From: CLR <CLRMain@afgj.org>

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Emily LaBarbera-Twarog, Mid-West Regional Organizer;
<clrchicago@afgj.org>
Daisy Pitkin, Mid-Atlantic Regional Organizer, <clrdc@afgj.org>
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Labor Alert posted December 20, 2000

In this Alert:
1. Taiwanese Government Officials issue statement supporting workers
2. Ban Imports from Burma-International Day of Action, January 4th 
 
{Information in this alert provided by TECRO and the Free Burma
Coalition}

<><><><>
1. Taiwanese Government Officials issue statement supporting workers: On
December 19th, Daisy Pitkin of the Campaign for Labor Rights along with
Phil
Fishman of the AFL-CIO and national organizers from the AFL-CIO
Solidarity
Center, Jobs with Justice, Nicaragua Network, United Students Against
Sweatshops, Witness for Peace, and the Quixote Center met with the
Taiwanese
Representative to the United States, Chien-Jen Chen, in his office in
Washington, DC.   Taiwan and the United States do not have diplomatic
relations, so Taiwan has no ambassador.  Mr. Chen is the highest ranking
Taiwanese government official in the US.  The delegation met with Mr.
Chen
to ask that he use the political and financial influence of his
government
to pressure Nien Hsing to negotiate with the union at Chentex.  Nien
Hsing
is a Taiwanese business consortium that owns the Chentex factory in the
Las
Mercedes Free Trade Zone in Managua, Nicaragua.

During the hour-long meeting, the delegates informed Representative Chen
of
the situation in Nicaragua and of the solidarity campaigns that have
been
launched by labor rights activists in the US and in Taiwan.  Mr. Chen
was
given copies several documents including: a letter from John Sweeney,
President of the AFL-CIO, to the CEO of Nien Hsing; a statement made by
US
Congresswoman McKinney to the press denouncing the situation at Chentex
and
the US military for purchasing goods from that factory; a document from
Neil
Kearney, General Secretary of the International Garment Workers
Federation,
to the ILO outlining the legal specifics of the Chentex case; and
several
news clipings about the case and about actions at Kohl's stores across
the
US. 

This delegation was a part of the broader national mobilization that is
underway this holiday season.  There will be similar delegations to
TECROs
(Taipei Economic and Cultural Regional Offices) in New York City,
Atlanta,
Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Boston this week.  Also, over 90
actions
at Kohl's stores have been reported to Campaign for Labor Rights.  Other
actions such as ongoing letter writing campaigns and visits to some of
Kohl's major shareholders have also been reported to CLR.  

Mr. Chen gave the delegates to the TECRO in Washington DC copies of a
statement that had been drafted after a meeting with the CEO of Nien
Hsing
just days before.  The statement says that their government has
recommended
that Chentex rehire all the fired union leaders.  This new pressure,
added
to the ongoing solidarity campaigns in the US and Taiwan, will certainly
help the Nicaraguan union in the negotiations with Chentex management! 
A
new round of negotiations has been going on for two weeks, and according
to
witnesses, the talks have gone further than before.  The major barrier
to
signing an agreement has been the issue of rehiring the union
leadership, so
the Taiwanese Government's recommendation could go a long way to pushing
Chentex to a resolution.  The text of the statement follows: 

Statement of Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the
United States on Nicaragua Chentex/Nien Hsing Labor Dispute

The government of the Republic of China is deeply concerned about the
labor
dispute that occurred between labor and management at the Chentex
factory in
Nicaragua.  It is our government's policy that all overseas investors
should
treat workers fairly and respectfully.  In addition, all overseas
investors
should be sure to comply with the international labor standards and
labor
laws in force in the respective countries where they have facilities. 
The
government will help Chentex and all other Taiwanese investors in
Nicaragua
to promote good labor-management relations.  In order to encourage both
labor and management of the Chentex facility to rebuild a positive
relationship, the government has recommended that Chentex rehire the
twelve
workers (verbally specified as the union leadership) whose contracts
were
terminated in May and June 2000.

<><><><><>
2. Ban Imports from Burma-International Day of Action, January 4th: In
what
could be a huge blow to the Burmese junta's use of forced labor, the
outgoing Clinton Administration is poised on the brink of a historic
decision in its closing days.  In the wake of the International Labor
Organization's unprecedented call for sanctions against the brutal
military
dictatorship in Burma, Clinton must decide whether or not to sign an
executive order to bar imports from Burma to the United States.

With a single stroke of a pen, Clinton could cut off more than a quarter
of
the dictatorship's foreign exchange earnings. 

If Clinton signs the order, it will send a shock wave around the world
on
the issue of labor rights in the global economy. The ILO's decision to
call
for sanctions against Burma was based on the current regime's refusal to
end
the use of slave labor.  But the ILO by itself has no enforcement power:
like all UN bodies, it relies on governments like the United States to
implement its decisions.

If Clinton signs the order -- as he has been called on to do by the
democratically elected Burmese government that is in exile and the
AFL-CIO -
it would be the first US government act after the events in Seattle
(November, 1999) on the issue of labor rights in the global economy
which
would actually have a real, immediate impact on the lives of workers.

January 4 is Burma's Independence Day. Thus, Burma democracy activists
are
calling for a National Day of Action on January 4 to pressure the
Clinton
Administration to act.

Things you can do:

-Call the White House Comment line on January 4 (and before):
202-456-1111.
Tell Clinton to cut off the Burmese military dictatorship by acting
immediately to ban imports from Burma.

-Call your Members of Congress and ask them to co-sponsor bill [HR5603
in
the
House, or S3246 in the Senate]. The Congressional switchboard is (202)
224-3121 for the Senate, (202) 225-3121 for the House. You can also
contact
your Congressperson in their home district.

-Ask your union, church group, or political group to endorse and
participate
in the National Day of Action for Burmese Freedom on January 4. Send
endorsements to the Free Burma Coalition at info@freeburmacoalition.org,
(202) 547-5985 (ph), (202) 544-6118 (fax).

-Organize demonstrations on January 4 at congressional offices, customs
offices, federal offices, and U.S. ports. Send news of planned actions
to
<info@freeburmacoalition.org>.